This is either number 10 or 11 for me for stays at Cuban all-inclusive resorts. Playa Paraiso Resort is certainly not the best but also not the worst. Somewhere in the mediocre void is where I’d place this hotel.
We stayed at this Cayo Coco, Cuba resort for a week from April 1, 2019 to April 8. This was our first time booking with Air Canada Vacations but I can’t give an unbiased review of the flight. With a relative working as a flight attendant, we were pampered much more than if were standard customers.
What I can tell you is even with low cost brand Air Canada Rouge, the seats are more spacious than Sunwing. The relatively new Airbus A321-200 aircraft are an excellent ride and you can always count on the Air Canada pilots being highly experienced and trustworthy.
The resort, as a whole, was good. It was the lowest priced property at the time when taking into account our group’s needs. We needed three rooms with our’s including two children, one needing single supplement and the other bent on an ocean view.
However, there were issues. Most of the problem spots stem from the resort’s small size and high capacity. The beach is met on both sides by larger resorts so the waterfront space is limited. We’ll cover the good and the bad below, along with photos and a video.
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Playa Paraiso Cayo Coco, Cuba Image Gallery
Below is a gallery of photos from around the Playa Paraiso Resort. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a lot from the beach. It can be seen at the end of the video below. Be assured, the beach is excellent (despite the ongoing battle to get a beach chair).
High resolution versions of these images and other photos from the same day are available at Dreamstime. Want to earn cash from your own photos? Why not sign up for free with Dreamstime and start submitting now: Become a paid photographer!
About Playa Paraiso In Cayo Coco, Cuba
Visitors to the area will most likely recognize this resort as the Pestana. It changed to its current name sometime around Christmas, 2018. This means it now falls under the ownership of Cuba’s own Gaviota Hoteles.
The smallish property has 508 rooms, spread out over eleven three story walk-up villas. 488 are standard rooms (60 with ocean view) and just twenty are suites (14 with ocean view). For North American visitors, you should know that the electric plugins are 220V, so you will need an adapter.
Playa Paraiso is located just 15 kilometres from Jardines Del Rey International Airport (CCC). Of course, the island is cut off from the mainland, except for one single causeway. There are no local people living on Cayo Coco and there is no local culture or history. This is a place to come for a basic, relaxing beach vacation.
However, if the ‘Real Cuba’ is what you seek, excursions to the cities of Moron and Ciego de Avila are available, starting at 55 Cuban Convertible Pesos. A taxi to Moron will cost 80 CUC round trip and you can fit up to four passengers. The driver will wait for you so, if you have 2-4 willing friends to go with you, this is an excellent way to discover the country on your own schedule.
The resort is sandwiched between two larger resorts. To the west is Memories Flamenco Beach Resort. To the east is the Melia Jardines Del Rey.
Food And Drink
The resort might be smallish but it does not fall short in the food and drink department. Besides the main buffet, a beach snack bar and 24 hour snack bar, there are four a la carte specialty restaurants. Piamonte serves up Italian food, El Ranchon is the place for Creole or Cuban cuisine, Megallanes has a Portuguese flavour and Bangalore is Asian with an emphasis on Indian food.
We only ate at the Italian, choosing to spend much of our time in the buffet. We did have one off-site dinner at nearby Lenny’s Bar and Grille at Playa Prohibida. There will be an upcoming article with images and video featuring this unique spot.
Despite being a bit of a crowded resort, the bars always moved fast and efficient with a friendly smile. In fact, I will put it on record that Playa Paraiso had the best bar service of any of the resorts we’ve stayed at in Cuba.
There are five bars on site. Two, the Bellomonte Lobby Bar and El Dorado at the snack bar are open 24 hours. There are also the usual bars at the theatre, at poolside (with a swim-up side) and at the beach. There is also a Mojito shack by the pool that serves up much more than just Mojitos.
What We Liked
Hot water and ample pressure in the showers. This isn’t just a Cuban rarity, it’s an issue at many hotels around the world. But, not at Playa Paraiso. This hotel had hot water that could melt flesh and water pressure that would clean that melted flesh right off the bone.
A pair we were travelling with paid for an ocean view but were first put in a room that had absolutely no view of any water. The norm at a resort in this country would be some sort of fake apology followed by seven days of unfulfilled promises to correct the problem. Not here. They brought the situation to the front desk and were immediately moved to the proper room. It was a mistake, for sure. However, the hotel dealt with it in a way that certainly made up for it.
The beach here, other than the lounge chair situation, is magical. The sand is soft, the water bathtub warm and the depth shallow for quite a distant out.
Opportunities For Improvement
Playa Paraiso doesn’t come with some flaws. The 5:30-6:00 am start on trying to reserve a beach chair is utterly ridiculous. The close proximity to the Memories and Melia resorts means a flood of unwanted noise. Although the bartenders are great, there is no such thing as a drink menu here.
The balcony doors in the rooms do not come with locks. The room fridge is never loaded with complimentary beer and pop. The on-site store is small and not well stocked. A trip to one of the neighbouring resorts is often the best option when trying to purchase something. Toilet paper is not always re-filled in the rooms.
And then, there’s the interesting issue of the public beach between the Melia and the Playa. If you’re in buildings two and three, you will be subject to a fair amount of local bus traffic that comes with its dirty black diesel fumes and the inevitable horn honking that all Cuban bus drivers are trained in.
The locals that flood to the beach on weekends do not directly disturb the guests. Frankly, I’m glad that they’re treated somewhat like human beings and are allowed to nearly mingle with outsiders. But, we found later in the day, the garbage would build up. With the wind blowing rather briskly toward our beach, we were subject to empty beer cases rolling by like tumbleweeds and empty beer cans floating by in the water with the current.
Playa Paraiso Cayo Coco Beach Resort Video
These are the first of several videos we’ll be publishing on our YouTube Channel from this trip. The first video is made up of several clips showing the resort. The second is an extensive walking tour of the resort.
If you like what you see, please give it a ‘Thumb’s Up’. We would be forever grateful if you’d consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel!
Gaviota Hoteles
Playa Paraiso Cayo Coco is operated by Gaviota Hoteles, under the Grupo Turismo Gaviota Group. This brand was founded in 1988 and now offers more than 27,000 rooms in Cuba.
There are some 47 properties with hotels in Pinar Del Rio, Havana, Trinidad, Villa Clara (Cayo Santa Maria), Jardines Del Rey (Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo), Holguin (Playa Pesquero), Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa.
